Machine for applying toggles to skins.



W. R. SUTHERLAND.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING TOGGLES T0 SKINS.

APPLICAUON FILED MAY 15, I914.

Patented May 4, 1915.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHOTU-LIYHOH WASHING rON. D. (L

WTTED? STATES PATENT QFFTCF.

WALTER R. SUTHERLAND, OF SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TOEDWIN COOK AND ONE-FOURTH TO CHARLES A. COOK, BOTH OF DANVER-S,1V[ASSA-CHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR APPLYING TOGGLES TO SKINS.

Application filed May 15, 1914.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WALTER R. SUTHER- LAND, acitizen of the United States, residing at Salem, county of Essex, Stateof Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inMachines for Applying Toggles to Skins and the like, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

In the manufacture of leather it is customary to stretch the skins onboards or frames for the purpose of drying the leather, and it isdesirable that during this process the skins shall be stretched as muchas possible in order that the measurement of the completed product shallbe the greatest possible. Two methods of holding the skins during thedrying operation have been employed in the past. In the first method, aflat board is employed on which the skin is stretched and tacked. Thishas the disadvantage that the skins dry slowly owing to the fact thatthey lie in contact with the board; also that the workman cannot stretchthe skin to the fullest extent. Furthermore, the margin of the skin isinjured by the tack holes and is usually trimmed off, resulting inwaste. In the second method, a frame is employed to which the skin issecured by toggles which consist of a metallic clamp and a piece ofstring of suitable length. The clamp is snapped onto the edge of theleather and the skin is stretched onto the frame, the

string being secured to hooks located on the frame. This method hastheadvantage of producing a considerable increase in the measurement of theskin and in not injuring the margin of the skin, and in permitting theskin to dry much more rapidly since it is exposed freely to the air onboth. sides. Also, when frames are used, a smaller dry room may beemployed for the'same amount of product. This method, however, has theserious disadvantage that it takes very much more time to apply thetoggles tothe edge of the skin than it does to tack the skin on boards,and is therefore uneconomical so far as labor is concerned. Heretoforeso far as known to me, the toggles have always been applied to theskin'bv hand, and this hand-operation involves straightening out thestrings, opening the toggles and then forcibly closing the toggle on theskin. If

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4., 1915.

Serial N0. 838,868.

- tion of stretching the skin on the frame occupies less time than hasheretofore been employed in tacking the skin onto drying boards. The useof my machine, therefore, makes it possible to obtain the advantagesresulting from the use of toggles and drying frames, while the laborexpense of so doing is reduced to at least that of the old method oftacking the skins onto drying boards.

The invention will be fullv understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and thenovel features thereof are pointed out and clearly defined in the claimsat the close of this specification.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a machine embodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine shown in Fig. 1, thelower portion of the frame being broken away. Fig. 3 is a view similarto Fig. 2, but showing the parts in the position which they occupy afterthe toggle has been closed. Fig. 4 is a section of the racewayon line 4Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view showing the toggle of one well knownconstruction adapted to be clamped onto the edge of the skin by the useof the machine vention. 1

Referring to the drawings, at 11 is shown the frame of the machine onwhich the working parts are supported. At 12 is shown-the raceway,preferably composed of two moldings 13 and 14 of wood or other suitablema terial, separated by a suitable space and supported at the lower endby the bracket 15,

see Figs. 2 and 3, and held togetherat intervals by other brackets 15.The space between the two moldings is of such ashape (see Fig.4) as topermit a series. of toggles to be placed therein and to slidesidewise'down the raceway. The lowest toggle in place in the raceway isshown at A in F ig., 2. The

raceway is curved upwardly and isprefer ably extended through theceiling to the room above so that the toggles may be inserted there andalso that the weight of the toggles in the raceway will be sufficient tofeed them forward as the lowest toggle is removed from the machine uponbeing secured to the edge of the skin. \Vhile I have shown a gravityfeed for the toggles, I do not limit myself to this construction.

The toggles A are inserted in the raceway with the lever a hanging downso that the jaws of the toggles are separated ready for the reception ofthe edge of the skin. At 16 is shown lever pivoted at 17 to the frame ofthe machine, and provided at 18 with a finger to engage the lever a ofthe lowest toggle A. The said lever 16 is actuated by the rod 19operated by a treadle 2O pivoted at 21 to the frame of the machine. Thesaid lever 16 is held-normally in its lowest position by means of aspring 22engaging a collar 23 secured to the rod 19.

It will therefore be seen that when the operator presses his foot on thetreadle 20 the toggle actuating finger 18 raises up the lever a. of thetoggle A and forcibly compresses the jaws of the toggle onto the skin.The moldings 13 and 1 1 are cut away at 24 to give room for the removalof the toggle after it has been snapped onto the skin, and also to allowthe finger 18 to raise up the lever a and close the toggle. For thepurpose of supporting the toggle during the operation, I provide a fiatspring 25 which bears against the under side of the toggle so that thetoggle is held between it and the underside of the top molding 13. Thespring 25 is not of suflioient thickness to interfere with the closingof the toggle when the finger 18 is raised. The wall 26 opposite the endof the raceway 12 acts as a stop so that the lowest toggle is properlypositioned to be operated upon by the finger 18.

The operation of my machine isas follows: As previously explained, thetoggles with the strings attached are placed in the raceway insufiicient numbers so that the weight of the toggles in the inclinedportion will cause the toggles occupying .the horizontal portion of theracewa'yto be fed forward. The operator then presents the edge of theskin to the jaws of the lowermost toggle A and depresses the treadle 20.This raises the toggle engaging finger 18 and clamps the toggle forciblyupon the skin. The toggle which is now firmly attached to the edge ofthe skin is then withdrawn from the machine by the skin and the stringwhich is attached to the toggle is drawn out with it. When the operatorreleases the treadle, the finger 18 falls to its normal position andimmediately another close the to toggle is pushed into place by thepressure of the other toggles in the raceway.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the toggles may be clamped ontothe edge of the skin just as fast as the operator can present the skinat different points to the machine. It will also be seen that noexertion on the part of the operator is required to close the toggle andthat the toggle is firmly clamped onto the edge of the skin.

The machine rapidly attaches the toggles to the skins and makes itpossible to use toggles with their attendant advantages without aprohibitive labor expense.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a racewaycapable of supporting a series of toggles and having a longitudinal slotthrough which the string on the toggle hangs out and a finger to engagethe lever of the toggle and forcibly onto the skin.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of aracewayof a cross-section adapted to receive a series of toggles placed side byside and having a longitudinal slot through which the string on thetoggle hangs out, a finger to engage the lever of the toggle andforcibly close the toggle on the skin, and a pedal to operate saidfinger.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a racewaycomposed of two suitable moldings separated by a space adapted toreceive a series of toggles with the levers of the said toggles in openposition, said molding being cut away for a width equal to the width ofone toggle to permit the lever of the toggle to be swung to closedposition, and a finger engaging the said toggle lever to'move the saidtoggle lever through said cut-away space and close the toggle.

4. In a machine of the character described, thecombination of a racewaycomposed of twosuitable moldings separated by a space adapted to receivea series of toggles with the levers of said toggles in open position,said molding being cut away for a Width equal tothe width of one toggleto permit the lever of the toggle to be swung to closed position, a thinmember bridging said cutaway space and adapted to engage the undersideof the body of the toggle, and a finger engaging the said toggle leverto move it through said cut away space and close the toggle.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER R. SUTHERLAND.

Witnesses:

GEORGE P. DIKE, ALICE I-I. MORRISON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

